Flipped
by BunniesOfDoom
Summary: Adrienne Agreste, the only daughter of Gabriel Agreste, has a secret: she's Chat Noire, one of the heroines of Paris.
1. Prelude: Heroines of Paris

**The only change in this story is that Adrien is female. Everyone else is the same.**

* * *

Marinette is late for class, which has become the norm for her. She sidles in, trying her best to be quiet and not attract the teacher's attention. Her efforts pay off, and she's able to slide into her seat next to Alya without anyone noticing. She peeks behind her hopefully, but when she sees the empty desk next to Nino her shoulders slump and she frowns.

"Adrienne's not here?" she whispers to Alya when their teacher's back is turned. Alya opens her mouth to respond, but the teacher turns around. Instead, Alya tears off a piece of paper and scribbles a message. She slides the paper across the desk to Marinette.

 _She had a photo shoot this morning and probably won't be here until this afternoon_ , Marinette reads to herself. Marinette sighs, and notices the second message written at the bottom. _Don't worry Mari, I'm sure your love will come for you soon_. She crumples the paper into a ball and blushes in embarrassment.

"Just what are you girls discussing that is so important that you can't pay attention to the lesson?" demands their teacher, finally noticing the silent conversation between Marinette and Alya. "Give it here," she orders, holding her hand out for the note. Marinette makes a noise of indignation, and Alya is about to refuse when the door opens, creating a diversion. They've never been so grateful for a distraction. And Marinette has never been happier to see Adrienne Agreste than she is right now.

"Sorry I'm late," Adrienne says, breaking the sudden silence. "My father set me up with a last-minute photo shoot this morning—"

"Yes, yes, I got his message this morning," the teacher says, interrupting the girl. "Adrienne, please sit down. You can get the morning's lessons from Marinette." She turns to Marinette and Alya. "And you two better start paying attention!"

After Adrienne has settled herself, she leans forward so she can speak to Marinette. "So can I see your notes from this morning?"

Marinette turns to look at her, and seeing gorgeous green eyes and flowing blond hair, makes a garbled squeaking noise in place of any words. She clears her throat and decides to try again. "Um yes these are this morning my notes—" she cuts herself off, blushing bright red and handing over her paper. "I was running late this morning, so they might not all be there!" she says in a rush. At least it's a coherent sentence this time.

Adrienne smiles at her, and she almost forgets how to breathe.

* * *

There's an akuma attack that afternoon. Fortunately, it's just as school is getting out, so it's easy for Adrienne to find a secluded place to transform into Chat Noire. In a matter of minutes, she's racing along the rooftops to the scene, her long blond hair blowing in the breeze. And hopefully, Ladybug is on her way as well.

They meet up just before reaching the akuma, and then it's their usual routine. Adrienne fights alongside Ladybug as Chat Noire while attempting to flirt with bad puns and cat-based humor. Ladybug, as per usual, banters back, her witty responses making Adrienne grin as she tries to distract the akuma. With the two of them working together, the akuma is easily defeated. A small crowd has arrived to watch the heroines of Paris. Adrienne can see Alya in the middle of it, filming the battle on her phone. Ladybug purifies the akuma, and Adrienne watches it fly off while Ladybug fixes the damage done by the akuma's attack.

"Pound it!" They fist bump, and Ladybug turns to go. "My lady," Adrienne calls to her. She turns around. "I must say, that was some paws-sitively clawsome fighting you did today." Ladybug laughs and shakes her head, and in an instant is flying across the rooftops. Adrienne smiles to herself and heads off as well.

* * *

That evening, after Plagg has been satisfied with enough cheese, Adrienne is in her room, ostensibly working on her homework. In reality, she's thinking about Ladybug.

"Will you quit mooning over that girl already?" Plagg complains from where he's lounging on her bed. Adrienne glares at the cat.

"She's just so amazing! I doubt she'd ever even notice me if I wasn't Chat Noire," she sighs sadly. She isn't going to get any work done tonight, now that her thoughts have turned to Ladybug.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marinette is having a similar conversation with Tikki in her room, surrounded by Adrienne Agreste posters. She's attempting to draw a design for a new dress, but her thoughts have turned to Adrienne. "She barely even notices I exist! And even if she does notice me, I'm just plain Marinette while she's beautiful, talented, and charming!" She flops onto her bed in despair.

"Oh come on Marinette, don't put yourself down like that," Tikki tries to reassure her. "You're an absolutely wonderful person, and one of these days Adrienne will notice that. But first, you need to work on being able to speak coherently around her."

* * *

 **First time writing for this fandom, so I hope it turned out alright. Please review!**


	2. Episode: Mr Pigeon

**I was originally just going to leave this as a oneshot, but since you guys liked it so much, I'm going to continue it! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorite! And an especially big thank you to the reviewer who pointed out that it's Chat Noire.**

* * *

Marinette's head is filled with thoughts of Adrienne as she hurries off to her favorite drawing spot. She'd complimented her drawings! And, thanks to Alya, Adrienne had known that they were her drawings. Alya really was the best friend ever! She'd have to thank her later.

She'd been so dazzled by how pretty Adrienne looked that she'd barely been able to speak to her. It was completely unfair how Adrienne managed to look good no matter what she wore; even in the oversized shirts and jackets she wore to school, so different from the pretty dresses she wore while modeling, she still looked amazing! Marinette was thinking hard. She'd have to come up with a design worthy of Adrienne's beauty.

Meanwhile, Adrienne is unhappy about being the center of attention. At school, she tried to avoid mentioning her modeling career, but her father had insisted, and she really wanted to make him happy. But it meant that Chloe had spent all morning bothering her, trying to get hints about what to make for the contest. Now, judging by the look on Chloe's face, she's up to something. Adrienne just hopes that whatever it was won't disrupt the design contest and make her father angry.

* * *

After Adrienne runs out, Marinette is too lost in thought to hear what Alya's asking. She does a mental comparison between Chat Noire and Adrienne Agreste: they're both allergic to feathers, and they both have blond hair and green eyes. "Hello! Earth to Marinette!" Her brain finally catches up to what Alya is saying.

"Oh! Sorry Alya!" she replies sheepishly, finally noticing her friend's attempts to get her attention.

Her best friend just shakes her head at her. "I was asking if you want to go get ice cream to celebrate."

Marinette lights up at the idea. "Let's go!" she says enthusiastically, and Alya nudges her in the direction of the ice cream parlor. "I can't believe Adrienne is going to model our design!" she squeals.

"I knew you'd pull through for us!" Alya does a fist pump. "So what were you thinking about?"

"Oh, I was just daydreaming," Marinette replies quickly, shaking her head. She decides that there's no way the flirty, confident Chat Noire could ever be the humble, quiet Adrienne Agreste. The differences in their personalities are too great.

* * *

Later that evening, Chat Noire and Ladybug meet on the rooftop to patrol Paris. They don't patrol every night, but they make an effort to patrol the evenings after an akuma attack, to make sure that they don't miss anything. Usually, Chat Noire will show up a few minutes late, making bad puns and ready to help guard the city. Tonight, she shows up early, only a minute after Ladybug, and she seems withdrawn and pensive.

They start out on their patrol, moving west first. Usually, Chat Noire will be flirting and making small talk. Tonight, she's silent as they move along the rooftops. Finally, Ladybug is the one to break the silence. "Chat Noire? Is something wrong?" she asks, trying to sound casual.

They come to a stop, having reached the western edge of their route. Chat Noire stares at her feet for a second, then blurts out, "I'm really sorry about today!"

Ladybug is puzzled. "Sorry about what? You didn't do anything wrong."

Chat Noire shuffles her feet awkwardly. She mumbles, "I messed us up today, because of my allergies."

"Oh, that?" Ladybug waves a hand in the air dismissively. "That wasn't your fault. You couldn't control it. And you didn't mess us up! You came through for me like you always do." She shoots Chat a reassuring grin.

Chat blushes at the praise, running a black-gloved hand through her long blond hair. "You think so?"

Ladybug puts her hands on her hips. "I know so. We're partners, and I know you'll always have my back. Now, how about we get back to patrolling the city?"

Chat Noire smiles, and she seems more like her outgoing self. "You can count on me, my lady!" She turns, and soon they both are sprinting across the rooftops, only lit by the light of the moon.


	3. Interlude: Rainy Days

**Double update! I imagine this as taking place shortly after the Origins episodes, when they're still getting used to being superheroes.**

* * *

It's been raining steadily all day, and Ladybug tucks herself into an alcove on the roof, hoping to avoid getting wet. She'd chosen this meeting spot because of the weather. A few minutes later, Chat Noire arrives, shaking water out of her hair. She's late as always.

Chat gives a frustrated growl. "I hate the rain!" she exclaims. "Couldn't it just be sunny all the time?"

"What's the matter, kitty, don't like to get your paws wet?" Ladybug teases.

"No!" Chat says emphatically. "My hair is dripping everywhere!"

"You should have put it up before you left," Ladybug suggests, gesturing her hair, which is tied in its usual pigtails. Chat has always word her blond hair down long, but apparently it wasn't a problem until now.

"Up? Like, in a ponytail?" Chat says curiously, tipping her head.

"Yeah, like that," Ladybug replies, then realizes that she doesn't want her partner going around looking like she's copying Chloe. "Or, maybe not a ponytail, but another style that will stop your hair from dripping everywhere." She pauses for a moment, thinking of alternate hairstyles. "How about a braid?"

"A braid? I guess that could work. Except . . ." Chat stops for a moment, lowering her gaze. "I don't know how to braid my hair."

"You don't?" Ladybug says quizzically, frowning.

Chat shuffles her feet. "Well, my mom died when I was little, so she never got to—" she cuts herself off, swallowing hard.

"Well," Ladybug says finally, after a moment of awkward silence. "I'll just have to teach you." She gestures for Chat to come sit down next to her.

Chat walks overly slowly, looking at her in disbelief. "You're going to teach me how to braid my hair?" she asks dubiously, sitting down next to Ladybug.

"Yes, I am," Ladybug says firmly, turning around and running her fingers through Chat's long hair. Chat blushes at the contact. "First, you divide the hair into three equal parts. And then, you weave it into a braid by. . ." She continues giving step-by-step instructions on how to braid hair, occasionally bringing one of Chat's hands up to feel what she's doing.

They sit like that for a while, and the only sounds are the rain coming down and Ladybug's voice. It's almost romantic, Chat muses to herself. She does her best to keep her mind on what Ladybug is doing.

Almost too soon, the moment is over and Ladybug is tying the end of the braid. Apparently, even as a superhero, she still keeps a stash of hair ties on her. Chat runs her hand along her new hairstyle. "I like it. You truly are gifted, Ladybug! And not just in the realm of crime-fighting!"

Ladybug, shakes her head and smiles at the joke. "Let's get going, kitty, we're already running late!" She turns to run across the rooftop. "And no more complaining about the rain!" Chat grins, and turns to follow her. Maybe rainy days aren't so bad.


	4. Episode: Reflekta

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited this story!**

 **These chapters are not going to be in any sort of chronological order, just in the order that I think of them. Also, updates for this are probably going to become even less frequent than usual because I'm studying abroad in Copenhagen for a month starting June 10 and probably won't have very much time to write.**

* * *

Chat Noire thinks that this is probably the most annoyed she's ever been at a villain. "Seriously?" she mutters. "High heels?" It's bad enough that she's wearing this bizarre, but still girly outfit—unless she's being forced into wearing frilly clothes for modeling, Adrienne prefers to dress in less girly clothes. It's perfect for drawing as little attention to herself as possible.

Heels, however, are the bane of her existence as a model. She's perfectly competent at walking in them, but she hates them with a burning passion. They're just so uncomfortable. And impractical. And now, she has to somehow figure out a way to help out Ladybug and fight off the akumatized villain while wearing them. She looks down at her feet in despair. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

When they take a break from patrolling that night, Ladybug takes the chance to comment on the events of the day. "You were incredible today. Seriously, you managed to do all that while wearing that weird outfit and those ridiculous shoes!"

Chat Noire grins proudly. "Your praise means the world to me, My Lady," she blushes at the compliment. "Truthfully, I've had a lot of practice wearing heels." For once, she's grateful to her modeling career.

"You can definitely tell," Ladybug agrees.

"I bet you could have done the same," Chat points out, never missing a chance to pay her a compliment.

Ladybug shakes her head. "I doubt that. I avoid heels at all costs." She shudders, thinking of the horrors that would happen if she was forced to wear the dreaded footwear.

"Really?" Chat asks in disbelief.

Ladybug smirks wryly. "Believe it or not, when I'm not transformed, I'm a bit clumsy. Wearing heels would be just asking for a disaster." Before Chat has time to process this confession, Ladybug is suggesting that they get moving again.

 _Clumsy when you're not transformed_ , Chat thinks to herself as they patrol Paris. _Who would've thought?_


	5. Interlude: Rendezvous

**Another double update!**

* * *

Marinette is hard at work, knitting a new scarf, when she hears a knock at the skylight. Smiling, she stands and stretches, before heading over and unlatching the window. There's only one person it could be, after all.

"Thanks for letting me in, Princess," Chat Noire says as she steps through the skylight and moves to slouch in her desk chair. "How are you this lovely evening?" she asks playfully.

"Fine, thank you," Marinette replies, smiling. There's something fun about hanging out with Chat when she's out of costume, without the fate of Paris hanging over them. "What brings you here?" she questions Chat, settling herself on her bed.

"What, I can't check up on you without getting the third degree?" Chat sniffs. She comes by to visit Marinette often, claiming that she just wanted to make sure that her Princess was staying out of trouble. "I was in the area, so I thought I'd stop by on my patrol." Marinette makes a mental note of this—she hadn't realized that Chat was doing solo patrols. "Seeing your smiling face always cheers me up," the blonde girl continues. "Plus, it's cold outside."

"Do you say that to all the damsels that you rescue?" Marinette grins wryly. Their playful back-and-forth is always fun, whether she's Ladybug, or just plain Marinette, like she is now.

Chat puts a hand to her heart, as though she's wounded by that remark. "Of course not! Just you and Ladybug!" she retorts, pretending to be haughty and offended. "You two are special."

Marinette grins widely, hoping that she's not blushing too much. She's definitely in love with Adrienne, but something about Chat's daring and bluster always manages to catch her off guard. "Could you try on this scarf for me?" she asks in an attempt to change the subject.

"Anything for you, Princess," Chat replies eagerly, giving her a little bow.

Marinette fetches the scarf, placing it around Chat's neck. She tries not to blush further at their close proximity. "It's a present for a girl at school," she explains. "A friend. You have a similar height and build to her so I thought I'd test the length on you." The scarf looks perfect; Adrienne is going to love it!

"I'm happy to be of service," Chat assures her. "This is a really nice scarf," she comments. "Really soft. What might a nice kitty have to do to get a lovely Princess to make one for her?"

"I'd be happy to make you one, alley cat," Marinette says impishly, folding her arms. "I could probably use the same measurements from this one," she comments thoughtfully, circling Chat to inspect how the scarf looks.

"I should probably get going," Chat remarks remorsefully, handing the scarf back to Marinette. "Those damsels in distress aren't going to save themselves!" In a few graceful movements, she's stepping back through the skylight and out into the night. Marinette locks the window, then sits down at her desk and starts working on a new design.

* * *

The next time Chat visits, Marinette gives her the new scarf. Chat wears it every time she's transformed for the rest of the winter.


End file.
